Been quite busy with Christmas gift projects

Since my last post on November 22nd I have been busy with Christmas gift projects.  I have knitted 5 ribbed stocking caps, three of them being for females have pompoms.  They have all turned out really nice.  I made them the same colours as the scarves I knitted for them before.

I have completed the set of leather coasters I had started on and am well on the way to finishing a second set.

I managed to get a Singer Pixie sewing machine for our youngest grand daughter.  It was a heck of a bargain.  A factory reconditioned one for $15!  I was so happy to find it.  Other used ones were going for $40.  This meant that I could purchase some additional spools of cotton, some beginner sewing scissors and tape measure etc. and still be withing budget.

So up to here all was good.  Then it went downhill:-

I have been obsessing about my sewing machines.  I couldn't stop thinking about the Pacesetter XL 703, which I have now discovered is 51 years old.  It is capable of doing all the fancy stitches I will ever need.  I spent days on and off looking for a manual for it online.  Eventually found one in the Brothermall online store.  $5 plus shipping.  I ordered it Monday and it arrived yesterday.  I read it from front to back then this morning went up and got the machine out again.  This time I took the covers off and oiled it.  I bought new needles, some for embroidery and some for stretch fabrics.  It says the reason for the top thread breaking could be wrongly threaded, blunt needle, too small needle for cotton, tension too tight, needle in wrong way, etc. etc.

I had the machine all oiled.  I changed the thread, adjusted the tension, put in one of the new needles (the correct way), threaded it as per the instructions (which is how I was threading it anyway) and it still snaps the top thread.

I am at a bit of a loss now but will keep on working on it.  The inside was immaculate so hopefully I can get it to work.

So after messing with that and having no success I decided to do some knitting.  I am making caps, neck warmers and mittens for our neighbours.  The same as I made for my husband. (see earlier blog). As they both hunt I thought I would make them striped in woodland colours.  Black, brown, green and tan.

Out came the colour changer.  I got it all set up with the 4 strand mast and refreshed my memory of how to use it from the manual.  Then set off to knit. The colour changer worked great but I couldn't get the correct tension on the mast and the yarn wasn't running freely enough.  I had it set on the lowest tension too.

The knitting had holes in it where the yarn was tightening up.  So it came off the needles.

By this time I was feeling a bit defeated.  I was not having a good machine day.

I came down, made and ate lunch and decided to blog about my grotty day.  I will go and sit next and do the stitching on my coasters.  No machine involved in that!

As I don't have the time to mess with the yarn changer I will knit the sets in plain colour.  One set in brown and the other in green.  They are father and son so they need to be different so they know whose is who.

So off to do my leather stitching, (no machine involved lol) and hoping for a better day tomorrow.